The Mustangs finished the tournament in California 3-2 losing the last two games in a good fashion. “The trip was about getting some games in and to see how we needed to get better for the rest of the season,” Head Coach Darren Orel said after the trip concluded.

Game 1: Mustangs vs. Springfield Oregon Millers, 13-0 W

In the first three innings of the game, Gino Cozzi had 9Ks and completely dominated the Millers’ offense. Cozzi allowed only one ball in play during his outing.

The DGS Mustangs won 13-0 against the Springfield Oregon Millers. The Mustangs’ pitching was lights out the entire game with a combined no-hitter.

The pitchers in relief, Kyle Heavy, Tom Rutter and Michael Hoes had a combined 8 strikeouts in three and one-third innings. “Whenever a guy can go out there and pitch well, it gives him and the rest of the team confidence that their pitcher has their back,” Orel said. Cozzi allowed only one ball in play during his outing.

That was followed up by the Mustangs’ offense; from the third inning on, 12 runs crossed the plate. Senior Nick Stacy went 4 for 5 including a triple with 4 RBIs, senior Brett Riegler went 3 for 5  with a walk, and junior Anthony Stellato went 3 for 5 with 3 runs scored.

Game 2: DGS Mustangs vs. Orange Panthers, 13-11 W

The Mustangs stole this victory from the Panthers in the later part of the game with eight of the 13 runs scored in the final three innings. The final score was 13-11.

It was 11-9 going into the bottom of the sixth and the bases were loaded for Stellato. He then hit a triple to the wall in between the right and center fielder which cleared the bases to make it 12-11 in the Mustangs’ favor. Stellato would then score off of a Riegler base hit making it 13-11 Mustangs.

Mustangs’ starting pitcher Cameron Crowley pitched an average outing letting up three runs and striking out two in four innings. He gave the Mustangs a 7-3 lead at the top of the fifth, setting the team up for a victory. “My fastball command was a little off and I missed high a lot. My off-speed was a little spotty, but it was a solid base to build on for the rest of the season,” Crowley said about his performance.

Game 3: DGS Mustangs vs. Oregon Eagles, 24-2 W

The final score of this game was 24-2 in the favor of the Mustangs. This was all about the Mustangs’ offense with more than 13 hits and more than 7 walks.

The Eagles’ pitching let up 24 runs in six innings. Their offense struggled with only three hits throughout the game and were only able to score two runs.

Game 4: DGS Mustangs vs. John F. Kennedy Fighting Irish, 4-3 L

In this nine inning game, the Mustangs fell to the Irish 4-3. Mustang starting pitcher Andrew Alfini gave up three runs in three innings with two strikeouts. The Mustangs then put in pitcher Jake Pileggi who absolutely mowed down the Irish offense with no earned runs and four innings pitched. Only giving up one single, Pileggi came in clutch to stop the Irish offense.

The Mustang’s offensive efforts were led by Brett Riegler who was 2 for 5 with two RBIs and Michael Hoes who was 3 for four with big hits to start off some innings.

Game 5: DGS Mustangs vs. Grandview Wolves, 10-6 L

The last game for the Mustangs was a heartbreaking loss 10-6. Cozzi started again for the Mustangs and pitched fairly well letting up 2 runs in 5 innings and striking out two.

The game was a very close 2-2 until the bottom of the sixth inning where the Wolves scored 8 runs and gained a 10-2 lead over the Mustangs. They went 6 for 10 all together in the seventh inning with four singles and two doubles.

The offensive efforts for the Mustangs in the 7th inning were great across the board, but it was not good enough to overcome the Wolves lead.